


Among the Living and the Dead

by virginiasbish



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, F/F, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Infertility, Kya and Lin become mums, Miscarriage, Vampires, kyalin - Freeform, past linzin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:41:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29193984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virginiasbish/pseuds/virginiasbish
Summary: Three years after she had turned into a creature of the night, Lin Beifong’s life was turned around once again. She had been certain that nobody would be looking for her, or miss her, but was proven otherwise by a person who had longed for her since the very beginning.ORLin Beifong as the Vampire Mommy from Resident Evil Village who lives in my head rent free.
Relationships: Kuvira/Kya II (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kuvira, Lin Beifong/Kya II, Lin Beifong/Tenzin
Comments: 22
Kudos: 78





	1. Let me stay with you

**Author's Note:**

> The magic system in this AU is basically the same, except that there are vampires. 
> 
> Thanks to AstraBabe not only for being an amazing beta, but also for filling my brain with millions of ideas <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ages: Lin (32), Kya (35)
> 
> 152 AG

It had been three years. Three years in which she had lived in her castle alone. In peace. After three years, somebody dared to intrude into her sacred place, her safe haven, without an inkling of fear pulsating through their veins.

Lin paced around in the bedroom she never used, her heels clacking on the old walnut floor, staring out of the broken sash window. The intruder had reached the staircase. They hesitated for a second. Then, they took a step. Wood creaked under their feet. Took another. Slowly, they made their way towards the room in which she was running in circles. The intruder was not afraid, not tense, not appalled by the place they just entered, although this should be the normal reaction of a mortal in such surroundings. Lin could feel it. Could the intruder sense her too? She was certain they could. Actually, she was impressed. The entire area was surrounded by an aura that prevented travellers from coming even remotely close to her palace, yet this person was so calm, and so determined to explore every little crevice of this place to find what they were looking for. To find her.

Lin would not run away from them. She would face the person who was either incredibly fierce or terribly stupid for seeking her out. The intruder had stopped two steps away from her door. Their heart rate had increased since they entered her castle, but not from fear. It seemed like… excitement? Their heartbeat felt strangely familiar. But it was impossible. Everyone thought she was dead. She _wanted_ everyone to think she was dead. As if anyone in this world cared if she were not.

The intruder did not move. Lin could only sense their fast heartbeat and deep breathing. Why did they not move? Did they come all the way up here just to loiter around in front of her bedroom door? Their heart rate dwindled, their breathing was calm. It was as if they were meditating. Meditating.

Lin tore the door open and was welcomed by the figure she had expected to see. She was there. She found her. All after Lin thought nobody would try to seek her out again.

“I knew I wasn’t too late.”

Lin could only stare. Kya had not changed much; only a new wrinkle here and there, but still as radiant as when she saw her last time five years ago. When things were okay.

“It depends on how you put it.”

Kya put her hand on Lin’s hollow chest.

“Oh, Lin,” she breathed, resting her forehead on Lin’s.

Lin had many questions. But she could not say a word. It was the first time in three years somebody talked to her without terror in their voice.

“Kya, I-”

But Kya pushed her backwards, causing her to stumble into her bed, and held her tightly as she started crying bitterly. The past was forgotten; Kya was here. Kya had searched for her, and she had found her.

“Lin, why?”

For the first time since she had turned, she was ashamed of her decision. Ashamed of her lack of trust in her friend. And furious that her feelings toward the man who crushed her heart had made her forget that he was not the only person who was capable of loving her.

“Because… because I thought you wouldn’t come.”

They sat on the many dusty blankets in her bed, entangled in their arms, for what seemed like hours, days, and weeks. Lin had no concept of time. It was all the same.

“What has happened since I was gone?” Lin asked.

“I could ask you the same.”

Lin had to smile, probably for the first time since Tenzin had left her. It felt weird, and her jaw twitched from the unfamiliar facial expression.

“Kya, you know what happened. You felt it.”

“Yes, Lin, I know what happened. But I want to know why, and how you became what you became. I want to know what has led you to the way of becoming a vampire.”

Lin took a deep breath. “He cheated on me. I'm sure you know that. Tenzin left me for that _child_ , Su and mum left me because I was always the bad guy, and who else did I have? I did not want to bother anyone. I did not want to bother you. The whole world told me I was just a nuisance.

“And since everybody left, I decided it was my turn to leave, too. I had nothing to stay for, after all. So after a month of bathing in melancholy, I started to wander without destination. The only thing I knew was that at some point, I would end all of this. And I reached this point eventually.

“A scrap of metal from my uniform shall have rescued me from my own demons. And as I was slowly dwindling, floating through time and space, something found me. I don’t know what it was. Everything was foggy. It offered to… help me.

“And I accepted it. I had wanted to end it because it was unbearable to live with such pain in my heart, and whatever found me that night, it made it possible for me to live, or be in a state close to living, without this constant ache in my chest. And this is how I ended up here. If I had only known…”

“Known what, Lin?” Kya held her cold, scarred cheek, looking her directly into the eye.

“Spirits, Kya, I’ve missed you.”

And with that, Lin did what she had wanted to do ever since Kya had passed the doorstep. They got lost into a deep, passionate kiss, Kya recognising the faint metallic taste of blood, but not caring. Lin, who had been cold for the last seven years, was surrounded by warmth for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

Kya withdrew from the kiss, breathless. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind Lin’s ear. “You know, we could try to find a way to turn you into a human again. We could start a new life together. Run away from all our responsibilities. Just you and me.”

Lin looked at her in regret. “As much as I wished we could, the entity that gave me this new life made it clear that there was no going back. And frankly, I don’t think I want to. I don’t want to deal with all the worldly issues anymore. And also, being a vampire comes with some perks, too.” As she finished the sentence, she extended claws made from steel from her fingertips.

“How…”

Lin had to smile at Kya’s astonishment. “My bending has changed since I turned. Since I am not technically alive, I don’t feel any pain. That’s why those claws don’t bother me. And my seismic sense has become different, too. It is as if I can sense the blood in people’s veins. The faintest of heartbeats. Anything really.”

Kya looked at her in awe. She was not sure what she wanted to do. So she had finally found her, but she had never considered what to do next. On a whim, she said, “I have been looking for you since you disappeared. I was so certain that you were still out there somewhere. I don’t want this to have been for nothing. Lin, if I can’t get you to come back with me, let me stay with you, forever.”

Lin did not quite understand. “Are you asking me to turn you?”

Kya nodded slowly.

“But Kya, you’ve got a family, you’ve always wanted to chase your dreams, and there’s the whole world at your disposal! I cannot do that to you. I can’t tie you down like that.”

Kya, however, was determined. “I have seen the world. I have given my family all the love I could give them. Nothing could truly make me happy anymore. I have taken in all this universe could give me. Lin, the last dream of mine that wasn’t fulfilled is you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is quite obvious that I was researching James Joyce's The Dead a little too much while I was writing my portfolio for uni.


	2. Why did you leave?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What has happened during the years Lin was gone? The story from other perspectives.

_Tenzin_

It has been a week and there was still no sign of Lin. One month after the disastrous breakup, his ex-girlfriend had disappeared without a trace. In that month, he had tried to apologize almost daily, only to be told to leave through a locked door. Until one day, he had been greeted with nothing but silence. He had put it off as nothing and told himself that he would just try again later, but was soon informed by a rookie patrolling the city that the Chief had not shown up to work that day, either. It was suspicious. And although Lin Beifong had destroyed his home and her insults had pushed the limits, he was worried. 

He had called his family. He had filed a missing person’s report. But it had all been in vain. The police were useless without their Chief. 

His worst fear turned into sad certainty when a bloody piece of Lin’s uniform was found by a river. And he, the man who broke her heart in two, was the one assigned the dreadful task to tell his family, that was hers just as well. 

_Toph_

For an entire month, Lin’s heart was in turmoil. And just as fast her heart rate had spiked the day in which it was shattered, it had stopped beating entirely. Toph Beifong had lost her daughter. 

She took her hand off the spirit vine. She could not bear the silence that radiated from the spot in which her daughter had taken her last breath. She had failed her oldest child. How could she ever forgive herself for this? She would never. She knew she had to do better. And with that, she left the swamp for the first time since she first moved there. Do better.

_Suyin_

Su was soaking up the sun in the city park when the news reached her. Tenzin, accompanied by his sister, stood in front of the gates of Zaofu in tears. He only said one word. Her name. 

Lin. 

Su turned away from them. Her sister. Her sister was gone. 

“Come with me.”

The siblings followed her into the palace she had built for herself and her expanding family. The future was supposed to be bright. The family was supposed to grow, not shrink. Lin was dead, and she had not been able to apologise. 

She offered her guests to take a seat in the lounge and called her husband to come in, too. Bataar, however, remained in the corner of the room, being aware of the importance of giving his wife the space she needed. He knew that something terrible must have happened.

“Tenzin, how - “

She could not say more before breaking down. Tenzin told her everything, from the beginning to the end. It was unbelievable.

“But have they found her?”

Tenzin only shook his head. “The river must have pulled her body out into the ocean. Waterbenders have tried to find her, but it was futile. Kya can confirm.”

Kya did not say a word. She did not want to “confirm” anything, like her brother phrased it. If she did, it would become real. 

Su did not want to believe it. “But how do you know that she is dead for sure? There must still be a chance, Tenzin!”

Tenzin could not bear looking at her. “Su, there was so much blood at the scene… so much. Nobody could’ve survived this.”

“Blood… was she attacked? Maybe triad members have followed her when she went for a walk, or wild eel hounds have surprised her in the forests around Republic City - “

Kya zoned out as Su continued guessing what could have happened. It made her angry. Su had no idea what her sister was up to since she was forced to live with her grandparents seven years ago. She had no business talking about what happened like that.

“There are no signs of a battle. From what we know so far, it seems very likely that she died by her own hand.”

Su looked down and touched her belly as Bataar approached her and put a supporting hand on her shoulder. “Little one will never be able to meet their aunt,” she sobbed.

And just as the words left her mouth, the door was smashed open.

_Kya_

Kya felt strangely disconnected as she watched the scene unfold. Toph Beifong entered the room like she owned the place, and marched straight towards Tenzin. 

“This is all your fault! How dare you leave my daughter when she needed you the most! Where were you?”

Tenzin was speechless. Kya had never seen him at loss for words before, and Toph so furious. It was drama she did not need right now. 

“Aunt Toph, I - I didn’t leave her alone! I tried to contact her every day since the breakup and she didn’t want to talk! It wasn’t me who left her, it was you! Both of you!”

This seemed out of character for Tenzin. The recent events had done weird things to all of them, but it had affected Tenzin especially. At least outwardly. 

Su interjected. “But we didn’t break her heart like you did. We didn’t cheat on her.”

Tenzin turned away from the group so nobody could see how his cheeks had turned bright red. “I didn’t cheat on her,” he said slowly, “Lin didn’t want children, but I have to. I didn’t want to force her into anything, so I respected her choice. It was for the best of everyone.”

“Lin lied to you.”

All eyes were on Kya now. She had not said anything before, as if she were in a trance, but she could not bear listening to one more false accusation or assumption. It made her furious how unaware everyone was of how Lin _really_ felt.

“What do you mean, Kya? Why would she lie to me?”

Kya sighed and turned her brother around so he faced her. “Lin couldn’t have children.”

Deafening silence filled the room. Everyone was in shock from this revelation. Was she really the only person who knew this?

“You were gone for years, what do you think you know?” Tenzin scoffed.

Kya looked at each and every person in the room. “It seems like you all didn’t know her like I did.”

Tenzin was about to talk back when Toph interrupted him. “She is telling the truth, Tenzin. But to put your mind at ease, she hasn’t told me either.”

Kya could not be with those people any longer. As she turned to leave, she heard people yell unintelligible words at her, but she did not care. She ran out of the room, the palace, towards the train station, to take the next train to Republic City. She had her few belongings to pick up. So Lin had lied to Tenzin. Out of embarrassment? Was she too proud to tell him what was really going on? Had she coped with her infertility by telling herself she did not want to have children anyway? It did not matter anymore at this point. Maybe Su was right, there was still a chance. Something told her that Lin might not be completely gone. She would find her, may it be among the living, or the dead. 


	3. The search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya tries to connect with Lin, but it seems pointless. However, she does not want to give up hope. The search begins.

She knew she could not sense anybody’s aura while being on a train, and she certainly would not be able to sense Lin’s. Trying to meditate was useless, too. The noise of the train wheels on the tracks and the quiet echo of the voices that yelled at her just hours before made it impossible to concentrate. 

She did not even know why she was doing this. Running away again, like she always had in her life. Running away from her problems, from her loved ones, from everything that tied her down in one way or another. But this time, it was different. She had a goal, even if it was likely unattainable. 

She had nothing to lose. She was just the waterbending child of the Avatar. The forgotten child. The useless child. Damn it, she would not even produce the airbenders humanity needed so badly! She could as well just disappear and the world would keep spinning without her. 

Eleven hours after she had boarded the train, she was on Republic City grounds again. She hated it. Without the Chief, something was missing. There was no sense of security. She quickly made her way to Air Temple Island. 

Her first stop was her father’s room. She did not know why she had not asked him for help earlier. He was the Avatar, after all. But the years in the iceberg had put a strain on his body. He was slowly dying, too. She had not wanted to bother him. 

“Kya, why are you back already?”

Kya wheeled around to find her mother standing behind her. “Uh… you know the Beifongs. And Tenzin. They didn’t take the news well. I mean, who would?” She scratched her neck. 

“Seems like you haven’t accepted it yet, either. You were going to ask your father for help, weren’t you?”

Kya nodded, not taking her eyes off the floor.

“Kya, he’s already tried connecting with her multiple times. He can’t find her. Let him rest.”

With that, Katara turned on her heels and went to the kitchen, wiping tears from her cheeks with her sleeve. Kya waited until she heard the door close, and disregarded her mother’s request. 

Aang was sitting upright in his bed, looking at her intently. It hurt Kya to see him like this. He had lost a significant amount of weight recently and spent most of his day sleeping or meditating. She knew he was frustrated that he could not help the world the way he used to, but he tried his best to not let it show.

“Dad, I -”

Her father shook his head and gestured towards the edge of his bed. “I’ve heard you talking to your mother. And she’s right, I tried. But Kya, I will tell you something that you have to keep for yourself. I know you want to find her. And I can’t imagine anyone I would trust more with this task. I could sense Lin’s aura, but it’s grey, and weak. I cannot pinpoint it. She is out there, but something has happened to her that is beyond our perception. Follow your intuition. Kya, please find my daughter.”

Kya tried to hold back her tears and the lump in her throat made it impossible to respond. Seeing her father in this state, and hearing the despair in his voice was just too much. She nodded, kissed him on the forehead and left to pack her belongings. 

As she left the house, Tenzin was climbing off of Oogi near the bison stables. When he spotted her, his head went all red again. 

“Kya! What were you thinking? Running away and leaving me to explain myself to the Beifongs? Nevermind, I should have expected something like that from you. You never stay where you’re needed.”   


Kya rolled her eyes. “Shut it, Tenzin. Go back to your girlfriend and make babies or something, I don’t care. I’ve got things to do.”

Kya was about to leave Air Temple Island behind when she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder. “Is it true?”

“What?”

“That Lin couldn’t have children. Are you sure? She would’ve told me.”

“I’m a healer, Tenzin, of course I know. She’s the Chief of Police, how often do you think I had to help her out?”

_ Not only with those injuries _ .

Tenzin looked at the floor in shame, not being able to say something. 

“Would it have changed anything about your decision if you knew?”

He gave the question some thought before replying. “No… but maybe I would’ve handled the situation differently. I could’ve been more compassionate. I should’ve been, as an airbender, but I failed my nation. I failed her.”

Although her brother’s actions had enraged her, she started feeling sorry for him. He could not have known. And now he not only carried the weight of a nation, but also the guilt of not having been able to save Lin on his shoulders. 

“Do not lose hope,” she whispered into his ear as she hugged him. “You’ll hear from me.”

He hugged her back and waved her goodbye as he went into the house. 

She secured her luggage on the back of the saddle and climbed her flying bison. “C’mon Chichi-girl, we’ve got to find my friend.”

Chichi groaned in response. 

“Yip yip!”

During the next three years, Kya and Chichi travelled the world together once again. Their first stop was the site where the last sign of Lin had been found. The rain had washed away any hint of the gruesome scene that had unfolded there a week earlier. Kya knew she would not find Lin here, but she had no idea where else to start. She sat down at the bank of the river and started to meditate. 

Kya was a spiritual person, but that day, she has not been able to let go of her thoughts easily. She was sitting by the river for hours until she gave up from exhaustion. She had gotten cold, too, and the sun had slowly disappeared at the horizon. Kya layed down on her bison’s belly and Chichi covered her with her tail to keep her safe and warm. But despite her exhaustion, Kya did not sleep well.

_ Kya, find your peace. _

She did not know where the mysterious voice came from, but it awoke Kya from her restless sleep. She could tell it was early in the morning from the position of the moon, and she decided there would not be much use in trying to fall back asleep. 

“Chichi, we’re going,” she said as she stroked the bison’s forehead.

Kya still had no idea where she was heading. Following the flow of the river, she looked for Lin from the sky, knowing it was useless since she had already searched the entire area a few days earlier. 

What she did not expect, though, was that the river went all the way to Ba Sing Se and further to merge with the sea. She had no reason to think she would find Lin in Ba Sing Se, but since she had no other lead, she landed there anyway. 

She had expected to encounter many people in Ba Sing Se, but she had not expected to meet Bumi at a night out in a bar. 

“Bumi, what are  _ you _ doing here?” she said as she spotted him sitting alone at a bar table, away from his colleagues of the United Forces. 

“Kya! It’s good to see you. Well, as good as one can feel under these circumstances.” He looked over to his coworkers, who were laughing at a joke one of them just told. “I’ll leave those behind for a few days to go to Republic City for…”

Bumi did not have to finish his sentence. There must be a memorial service for Lin in the city. Kya knew she would not go. She would not go to a memorial service for a person who was not certain to be dead. 

“You’re still looking for her, aren’t you?” he asked with the tiniest bit of hope in his icy blue eyes. 

Kya put her hand on Bumi’s and nodded. He gave her a small smile, one that could barely be noticed, but it gave Kya the reassurance she needed. 

That night, she fell into her cheap hotel bed blind drunk. And like the night before, rambling thoughts kept her awake until the sun was rising again. Around noon, after four measly hours of sleep, she was woken up by the same voice. 

_ Only you stand in your way. _

It took two days until she recovered from her horrendous hangover, which reminded her that she was not seventeen anymore. And after weeks of looking for signs of Lin in Ba Sing Se, she admitted to herself that she was in the wrong place. 

In the following months, she travelled the entire Earth Kingdom. In Omashu, people looked at her as if she was crazy when she asked about the Republic City Chief of Police. Nobody in this city cared what happened in the United Republic of Nations. Her experience in Gaoling was equally frustrating. She was able to find the old Beifong residence quickly, only to be told by the gardeners that nobody occupied it at the moment.

_ Let go of your inner barriers. _

The voice in her head had never left her.

Around the anniversary of Lin’s disappearance, Kya took a detour to Zaofu. Not to look for Lin, but to meet the newest member of the Beifong family. 

“His name is Bataar Jr. Do you want to hold him?” Su asked with a smile on her face. Becoming a mother gave her some sort of happiness at least, Kya thought.

She took the baby into her arms. Ever since she had come to terms with her sexuality, she had not wasted a thought on having children, even though there was a possibility that they would have turned out to be airbenders. She had never felt like it was her duty. But now, taking in the smell of the hair of the infant snuggled to her chest and hearing him coo, made her question her decision. There were ways… but no. This was not a priority in her life, and it would probably never be. 

“Kya,” Su started, “do you believe what the others believe?”

Kya instantly knew what Su was referring to. It had been her main purpose in life for the past year, after all.

“No, I don’t.”

“Good, me neither. I’ve recently welcomed a new citizen to my city who was able to detect Lin’s aura through meditation. His name is Aiwei. We could not find out where Lin is so far, but he is currently refining his meditation techniques to eventually be able to enter the spirit world and look for answers there. Something has changed about her, but she is still out there. Kya, is there anything you know about this?”

Kya had never exactly been friends with Su due to the significant age gap between them. And she had promised her father to not tell anyone about her endeavour and had already broken it by telling Bumi. Su might feel entitled to getting such information from Kya, but she did not owe her anything. 

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Su, but I don’t know anything.”

“Are you sure?”

As she turned around, she noticed a young man in a green robe standing behind her. This must be Aiwei. How long had he been there?

“I have to go.”

She handed Bataar Jr. back to Su and stormed out of the lounge. She started to understand why Lin did not want to have anything to do with her sister. Not only because she scarred her, but also because she could be terribly selfish. It must have given Lin more emotional scars than she could ever wear on her skin. 

_ Kya, what makes  _ you  _ want to find her? _

What makes her want to find Lin? Was it not selfish to want to find Lin because it broke  _ her  _ heart to have to live without her? Lin had made a choice, she had wanted to go. Kya had no right to hold her back. But if she stopped now, the time she spent searching would have been wasted. And she would have to live her life without knowing if she had been right. 

There was no place in the Earth Kingdom where she had not looked. She contemplated which places would have been significant to Lin that were not in the Earth Kingdom. Lin had always hated the North and the South. She had not been used to the temperatures there, but sometimes, her job had made journeys to the poles impossible to avoid. So the only place left was the Fire Nation. Lin actually enjoyed being there. When they were children and teens, her family, Zuko’s and the Beifongs had spent every Summer at Ember Island. It was on one vacation, back in 139, when Lin and her… She got lost in thought while riding Chichi westward. 

Ember Island had not changed much since she had been there. And someone had noticed a flying bison landing in the courtyard of the royal summer residence. 

“Izumi!”

The two ran towards one another and greeted each other with a hug that lasted for ages. 

“What are you doing here?” Izumi asked her, withdrawing from the hug. 

Kya was wondering what to respond to this. She did not want to lie to Izumi. And she had told Bumi, after all, which her father for sure was not opposed to. Izumi was like a daughter to him, too. 

“Let’s go inside,” Kya said.

Izumi brought some tea into the living room of the royal Summer residence. “Spit it out, Kya, what brings you here?”

Kya hesitated, but decided that if she trusted one person outside her immediate family, it was Izumi. “I want to find Lin.” 

At the mention of Lin’s name, a sad expression appeared on Izumi’s face. Her disappearance had affected the future firelord immensely. 

Kya told her the entire story of her journey through the earth kingdom, and Izumi did what she could do best - she listened. “And that’s why I came here. Not only to finally see you again - I really missed you - but also to find signs of Lin. She always loved it here.”

“If there were something of your interest, I would have told you immediately. Lin hasn’t been on Ember Island for years and she most certainly hasn’t been there in the last few months,” Izumi said gloomily, “But you, Kya, look like you need rest. A lot of it. You look terrible. Stay here for the night.”

Kya smiled at her. “Like a sleepover when we were kids?”

“Obviously,” Izumi said with a grin. 

Kya had not slept this well in ages. Even though it was way too hot on Ember Island in her opinion, the exhaustion had caught up with her eventually. However, her slumber was interrupted once again. 

_ You have to take care of yourself, too.  _

She realised she really had to when Izumi told her the exact same thing at breakfast that the voice had woken her up with. 

“Kya, listen to me. I know Lin means a lot to you, but it’s draining you. You look like you’re barely eating and the bags under your eyes tell me that the same applies to your sleep schedule. You should go home, to the South Pole, and see a healer.”

Kya scoffed. “I  _ am _ a healer.”

Izumi put both hands on her shoulder. “But it seems to me like you are not capable of healing yourself at the moment. Or does it look like that to you?”

Kya had to admit that Izumi was right. And she had missed the South. She tried to pamper herself a little in one of the luxurious bathrooms that the Fire Nation royalty owned, and went on to saddle Chichi. 

Just as she wanted to climb her bison, a familiar voice addressed her. 

“Kya.”

It was Zuko. She ran towards him as he opened his arms. His hugs always felt warm. They made her feel loved. He stroked the back of her head and whispered into her ear, “Good luck.”

She silently thanked him and waved at both father and daughter as she took off, heading to the Southern Water Tribe. 

It took two days to finally arrive at the South Pole. She was the only one of her family to be there at the moment, so she had the entire house for herself. She would just stay there for a few days and then go on to complete her quest, if it ever were completed. 

After she emptied her luggage, she wrote a letter to Tenzin, like she had done several times on her journey. She had never told him what exactly she was up to, but that she was doing well and did not know when she would return. Then, she followed Izumi’s advice and saw a healer. She knew lots of them, having worked with some and taught many. She decided to visit an old friend. 

“Hello, Reina.”

Reina stood in the doorframe with her mouth wide open. “Kya, it’s been so long,” she said before throwing her arms around her. “Come in!”

Friend was maybe an understatement. There had been a brief romance between the two in their early twenties, but they had soon realised that something more stable would not work out. They had separated on good terms. 

“Reina, I think you need to help me out a bit with your healing.”

“Of course, Kya, you definitely look like it.” She gently touched Kya’s disheveled hair. 

After a much needed healing session, Kya felt refreshed and some of the tension had disappeared. Reina had filled two glasses with sea prune wine and told Kya to make herself at home. 

And for the first time in ages, she felt okay. Her senses were hazy; she almost forgot her endeavour, and why she was going after a supposedly dead person. She felt free. 

Reina put a hand on Kya’s thigh. “Do you want to spend the night here?”

In the daze of her drunkenness, she agreed. 

She woke up in the arms of Reina, as soft as she had remembered them, but it was not only the throbbing headache that caused her pain. Did she cheat on Lin? She was looking for her because she loved her. She was not supposed to have a rendezvous with a former lover. Her heart filled with regret. 

She carefully slid out of Reina’s embrace, cautious not to wake her up. She did not want to leave her just like that. The times in which she broke people’s hearts one after another were over. She could at least minimise the damage she would cause. A notebook on the dresser caught her eye, in which she wrote a brief explanation and a simple  _ I’m sorry _ . With that, she left Reina’s house to lock herself away in her own.

The voice woke her up each and every morning in her months of solitude, and she had expected it to do so that night, too. However, while she did not hear a voice this time, a person revealed herself to her in a dream.

_ A tall woman was standing by a cliff, facing away from her, staring at the wild sea. Wind caused her green robe to sway. Kya felt strangely drawn to her. As if she knew her. Kya approached her slowly, her powerful, bright aura mesmerising her, and as she got closer, she could see that the woman wore a golden headpiece and held a fan in each of her hands.  _

_ “Avatar Kyoshi?” _

_ The woman wheeled around and Kya’s presumption as to why she was so familiar was proven to be true. Another reincarnation of her father. The Avatar in whose honour she had gotten a tattoo on her ankle. _

_ Avatar Kyoshi said something, but Kya could not hear her. Everything was muted. The wind got stronger; Kya felt as if she suffocated, and Kyoshi disintegrated into small black fragments that were carried away by the storm.  _

Kya woke up drenched in sweat. 

At once, she knew what she had to do. She left in a hurry, in the middle of the night, to the destination at which she believed to find enlightenment.


	4. I am here now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya and Lin are finally reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a short chapter this time. It used to belong to chapter 3 but I decided to split it up.

Kya arrived at Kyoshi Island in the late afternoon. She was welcomed by Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors and was confronted with the usual questions. Where are you going, what are you doing here. It was never  _ Kya, how are you doing _ . Until Suki offered to come in and have some tea with her. Kya politely declined. 

“There is something I really need to do. I’ve got to connect with Avatar Kyoshi, and I thought the best way to do so was coming here.”

Suki nodded understandingly and accompanied her to the enormous statue of the former Avatar. “I hope you find what you’re looking for,” Suki said and put a hand on Kya’s shoulder. “And I’d love to see you again when you don’t have important business to do. I’ve missed you.”

Kya had missed her too. And as much as she wished that she could stay with her for a while, finding Lin was her priority. Especially now, as she was so close to be reunited with her. 

Kya gave her aunt a last hug before she left her alone. Kya looked up to the statue and took a deep breath before sitting down in the lotus position. The healing session had done wonders. Her head was clearer than it had ever been since Lin had disappeared, and she was able to enter a state of deep meditation quickly. 

_ “You are finally here.” _

_ Kya found herself facing the former Earth Kingdom Avatar in the same spot she saw her in her dream last night. The storm had passed and the sea was calm, shimmering under the setting sun. She was awestruck.  _

_ “Why have you called me here?” Kya asked.  _

_ “I could not just stand here and watch the child of my reincarnation be so lost.” _

_ Kya contemplated the reply for a while. “In all honesty, I still am. It is so hard to find someone if you have zero clues on where they are, what they do, and if they are even alive. But I just can’t stop. I couldn’t forgive myself if I stopped looking for her.” _

_ Kyoshi listened to her earnestly. “What is it that you really want to do? What motivated you to spend almost three years of your life to find someone who caused you to run away in the first place?” _

_ Kya was surprised. The Avatar knew that she went on her travels because seeing Lin and Tenzin together hurt too much. What else did she know? _

_ “To tell you the truth, I just did what I always do. I ran away, again, without knowing what would expect me. Maybe I should really accept that she is gone.” _

_ “I do not think you should do that.” _

_ Kya looked at Kyoshi, astounded.  _

_ “You loved her, didn’t you?” Kyoshi stated. _

_ Kya nodded.  _

_ “I can tell you, your endeavour was not in vain. You might want to return to where you started.” _

_ A glimmer of hope illuminated Kya’s heart. “She’s alive?” _

_ Kyoshi looked at her with a blank expression. “Kya, do not expect her to be like she was when you knew her. Take care.” _

_ The image in her mind disintegrated, and the ground reappeared under her.  _

She had to go back. The conversation with Kyoshi had enlightened her, and something had changed. She seemed to  _ know _ where she had to go. It was as if a connection to Lin had been established. She climbed her bison once again. 

“Yip yip, Chichi!” she exclaimed and determinedly set off towards Republic City. 

She did not even bother to land in Republic City. What she was looking for was in the outskirts. She would have never thought she would find her in the place that had fascinated her since she was little. 

Kya landed in a wide clearing. The abandoned castle had not changed much since she visited it last time, back when she was little. She had always loved to explore places, and this was one of them. When Katara had caught her trying to climb through one of its windows, she had gotten grounded for two weeks. After this incident, her mother had watched her closely and made sure Kya would not leave the city limits. 

She soon realised it had been stupid to try to climb through a window back then since the front door was unlocked. She felt as if her heart would leave her chest any moment. She stood in a large entryway that was so unlike she remembered. The dust and cobwebs were gone. While it was rundown, a symptom of the time that had passed, it was clean, and it seemed as if someone put love into restoring what could still be saved. Even a candle was burning, and a couple of scorched matches were the only things that seemed out of place in the otherwise tidy room. To her right, a doorway led her to what seemed like a living room. It was neat, like the rest of the house she had seen; only the broken window made it seem like it was not inhabited. There was a ball of yarn on the armchair - someone had not yet finished crocheting the doily that was connected to it.

She went back to the entryway. The only noises that could be heard were the flicker of the candle and footsteps.

Upstairs. She was upstairs. Go. 

She climbed the staircase, step by step, trying to control her heartbeat, but failing. The old wood creaked under her feet. After what felt like an eternity, she reached the second floor. 

She knew what door Lin was behind. She could feel her. But her father had been right, her aura had changed. She had never sensed an aura like this before. 

_ Breathe in, breathe out.  _

_ “Kyoshi, am I where I’m supposed to be?” _

_ “You are, Kya. Look up.” _

And she did. She was where she was supposed to be. 

“I knew it wasn’t too late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this, then the story will be chronological. I promise.


End file.
